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Loyalties Lie
Episode 6, Season 7 of War. <3 Enjoy! Loyalties Lie "I mean, it is logical," Adderscar mumbles, half to himself. "Given the numbers of FireClan and WaterClan camps in proximity to the border and each other as well as the number of cats who traveled between Clans before and during the war..." Grayleaf, Briarclaw, and Adderscar were sitting together on the hill overlooking the prison camp they had just (mostly) liberated. The only cats who hadn't gotten out were the half-WaterClan, half-FireClan cats who had completely ignored all of Adderscar's perfectly sound and wonderful reasoning and stubbornly insisted to stay in the camp. Morons. "It's logical," Briarclaw agreed, narrowing her eyes like she had a headache. "But it's a little disturbing to talk about." "What's not logical," Adderscar continued as he ignored her. "Is why they would stay. It's not like we were conscripting them, we just wanted to help them get out of jail." "They're still loyal to FireClan," Grayleaf said quietly. "They might think it's better that they're there. They don't want to betray their Clan to us." "Loyalty," Adderscar rolled his eyes. "They're going to get killed." "Don't you have loyalty to anything?" Grayleaf asked, sounding more curious than anything. "Don't you trust anyone?" "Nope," Adderscar said shortly. "That tends to help me live longer." Briarclaw let her eyes travel slowly to his broken leg and then back up to his face. Adderscar's ears grew hot and he turned, lashing his tail. "We need to figure out why those cats are there. It might have something to do with FireClan's plan." "We should try to rescue them as well," Briarclaw added. Adderscar looked at her like she was insane and she glared back. "Maybe it's not the most logical thing to do, but those are part WaterClan cats being held against their will. We need to at least try." "When did you get so emotional?" Adderscar hissed. "You're supposed to have a nice, smart brain- use it!" "Me?!" Briarclaw yowls, incredulous. "You're the one who ate a bunch of poison berries just because I told you not to and you were jealous of me!" "Jealous-?!" "Guys!" Grayleaf cut in. "Whatever we decide to do, we probably should be free when we do it. So let's keep quiet so no FireClan cats hear us and come investigating, hmm?" Briarclaw and Adderscar glared at each other, but remained silent. "I think it's safe to say that there are some of those cats who would like to be liberated," Grayleaf said, thinking out loud. "But they aren't coming forward." "They're probably scared that the loyal FireClan cats will label them traitors," Briarclaw said. Adderscar resisted thinking that what she said was true, and a good idea. "But even loyal FireClan cats would be a little weirded out by sitting in prison," Adderscar meowed. "So what's the plan?" "Why does it have to be a plan?" Briarclaw asked. At first it seemed she was just asking to get under Adderscar's skin, but then she grew more and more confident. "Maybe some crazy general just got a little insane with the hating WaterClan thing." While that was also an interesting idea, it came from Briarclaw, so Adderscar was loathe to really consider it. "Well, we could just stand here making conjecture all day," Adderscar meowed sarcastically. "Or someone could go infiltrate." "'Someone' being you?" Grayleaf asked. "Well..." "Oh, for StarClan's sake," Briarclaw grumbled. "If we say no, you'll just sneak off anyways. Knock yourself out, Adderscar. Although- not literally, if you please." "Ha, ha," he glared at her and stood, stretching out his stiff leg. "Hopefully I'll be back soon. If not, a breakout would be most appreciated." "You trust us to get you out?" Grayleaf asked innocently, though his eyes glittered with mischief. Adderscar resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at the little medicine cat and he stalked into the dark. The thing that Grayleaf and Briarclaw really failed to grasp was that Adderscar couldn't really be bothered to care if they did come and rescue him, regardless of whether or not he trusted them. He didn't really care if he ate one or a hundred poisonous berries, regardless of whether or not he was jealous of Briarclaw. It was much easier to be the hero, to take the impossible risks, when he simply didn't care about his life. Obviously his preference would be to not spend a couple days getting tortured by FireClan before he either died or was rescued, but he wasn't too bothered either way. The easiest thing to do would be to simply slip into the prison camp and act as though he'd been there for a while. Little interaction with FireClan cats and it would be easy to gather information. It was unlikely that he could do that now though. Most of the prisoners were likely halfway back to WaterClan now and the ones who were left were part FireClan- he didn't know if they would turn him over to the FireClan soldiers, let alone give him any information. So the more straightforward path would be to get himself caught. That wouldn't be too hard, and it would probably involve some face-bashing, but he'd get into the prison. And the part-WaterClan cats who were already there would be more lax around him if he was caught, rather than if he snuck in like a spy. Which he was. But they didn't have to know that. The camp spread out below him and Adderscar looked around. He was far enough away from Briarclaw and Grayleaf that the FireClan cats wouldn't find them when they found him. The silhouette of a guard paced below and Adderscar smirked, lurching forward. "I always thought it was just Shadowsong," Grayleaf said. Briarclaw looked at him, tipping her head. "The whole, part FireClan thing," Grayleaf clarified. Briarclaw nodded. She may have left the squad after the mission they lost Shadowsong to her sisters on, but she was well-aware of the dark she-cat's past. "I mean, there's obviously more," Briarclaw said, scuffing her paws in the dirt of their camp. "Everyone probably has a little FireClan or EarthClan or AirClan blood in them. It's just more... prominent in some cats." "So then why would FireClan care enough to imprison them?" Grayleaf asked. He wasn't so naive that he didn't understand such cats could be considered a liability to the war effort, but it still seemed extreme to lock them up. "I think a more important question would be whether FireClan is the only one who cares," Briarclaw meowed darkly. "What..." Grayleaf looked at her and then his leaf-green eyes widened. "You think WaterClan is doing the same thing..." Briarclaw lifted one shoulder in a shrug, but her eyes were narrow. "I think that there's no such thing as a perfect Clan. And if FireClan is doing this to half-blood cats, there's a pretty good chance..." "That WaterClan is imprisoning them too," Grayleaf whispered, suddenly feeling like he was going to be sick. Briarclaw nodded sadly. Crouching was something that Adderscar used to be able to do well, before rebels snapped his leg. Just something else added to the long list of things he would never do properly, if ever, again. Grunting with the effort of staying low, Adderscar purposefully sent a shower of stones down to the camp below. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the guard perk up and start climbing towards him. He continued, as though he hadn't noticed. His leg screamed at him and black spots danced in front of his eyes. Had it really been tonight that he had been attacked by a FireClan guard, that Grayleaf had saved him? That seemed like it had happened ages ago. Obviously his leg disagreed. "Taking a walk?" Adderscar spun around, already ducking (as much as he could) as the FireClan guard leapt at him. Before he could get up though, she was sweeping his paws out from under him. He tried to get up, but his leg simply refused, crashing out from underneath him as the FireClan she-cat advanced. She cocked her head, "I don't suppose you feel like telling me if there are any more of you?" "Oh sure," Adderscar answered brightly. He hauled himself up to a sitting position, clamping down on consciousness. "There's lots of us. Although, to be fair, most of them are escapees." The she-cat narrowed her eyes- a lively shade of orange. "You were one of the cats who freed them." "Guilty as charged," Adderscar said. He realized he was swaying slightly and he hoped that the guard thought it was nerves, and didn't pause to think about how stupid it was for WaterClan to send a spy who was crippled alone. If she figured that out, Briarclaw and Grayleaf might be in danger. Growling, the FireClan cat lunged for him. The smirk didn't vanish from Adderscar's face as they tumbled over, as his head struck the ground, as he released his tenuous hold on consciousness. You really have to stop doing this stuff, Silverflower meowed reproachfully from the recesses of his mind. When Adderscar woke up, he had a blinding headache and a cat was watching him nervously, hovering over him like some kind of specter. "Jeez!" Adderscar yelped, jerking backwards. "Sorry!" the cat- a tom with green eyes and blue fur lurched away from Adderscar. "Sorry, sorry! You just had a bad head wound. I was trying to help. Sorry." Adderscar dumbly placed a paw on his head and hissed in pain, looking at his paw, which was now covered in blood. Lovely. "Leave him alone, Skyblaze," this was a she-cat. She narrowed amber eyes at Adderscar. "He's just WaterClan trash." "So are you!" Adderscar exploded. "We figured it out- you all have WaterClan blood." The tom- Skyblaze- looked at his paws in shame, but the she-cat stood on long legs and stalked over to Adderscar. She jabbed her nose in his face, her eyes bright with anger. "We're FireClan, born and bred. Whatever you think, that's the truth. So I'd watch my mouth, if I were you." "If that's the truth, why are you here?" Adderscar asked, smirking as the she-cat's eyes widened in rage. Skyblaze darted over, laying a calming tail on the she-cat's shoulder. "Look, Applenose is just a little touchy, okay? We've only been here a few moons, it's hard to get used to." A few moons, Adderscar thought. So whatever FireClan is doing, it's recent. Recent since... since Rowanfur became Firestar. Interesting. "Then why didn't you just leave when we came to rescue the WaterClan cats?" Adderscar asked. "Because," Applenose spat. "We're loyal to our Clan. I'd rather be out killing cats like you, but if they require me to stay here, then so be it." She looked at Skyblaze who nodded empathetically, even though he seemed more lost in thought. With a huff, Applenose spun back around and walked back over to some of the other prisoners who were in the den. Adderscar glared after her and tried to get up, before his head and leg forced him to stay on the ground. "Easy," Skyblaze cautioned. "Seriously, you might have a concussion or something." Like a concussion would stop him. "So Firestar gave the orders for cats who were part WaterClan to be... interned?" If Skyblaze was surprised he didn't show it. "Yeah. It was volunteer basis at first. He said cats who were part WaterClan needed to be trained specially because of their blood. That it might make it impossible for them to fight against WaterClan cats." And cats believed that? That is literally one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. "It was volunteer at first?" Skyblaze looked nervously over to Applenose, like he knew this line of questioning was a little suspicious. But the she-cat was talking to some other prisoners, studiously ignoring the two toms. "Firestar made a few special squads," Skyblaze finally said. "To root out the half-bloods who hadn't gone yet." "And no one thought that was suspicious?" Adderscar finally asked, unable to keep his opinions to himself any longer. Skyblaze shrugged in response and Adderscar realized that no matter how Firestar was, WaterClan would always be worse to the FireClan cats. No amount of logic or rationality would change that. "So-" Adderscar was interrupted when a group of guards entered the den. The part FireClan cats scattered out of the way, respectfully. Even Skyblaze slipped away from Adderscar, leaving the WaterClan tom alone as the enemy advanced on him. "You're Adderscar, yes?" the head guard asked. He was trying very hard to maintain the bored slouch of most guards, but his eyes were a little too bright. Suddenly Adderscar realized that, in the grand scheme of things, it would probably have been better for FireClan to catch a medicine cat or a random brain instead of someone who basically knew all of WaterClan's secrets. Dirt. "No, I'm-" "We're going to have to take you with us," the guard smirked, slightly. "Firestar wants to ask you some questions." Adderscar actually didn't think he could physically get up, so it was a bit of a relief when a couple guards stood on either side. They led him out of the den, keeping silent while he thought. Well great. You got the information but you won't be able to tell Briarclaw or Grayleaf because they figured out exactly who they caught and now you're going to get tortured to death in FireClan and all because you were too stupid to admit that you might need help or that you might not be the best cat for the job. Honestly, his only hope now was for Briarclaw and Grayleaf to decide he was worth saving. "He's not here," Grayleaf said. His eyes were clouded with worry and Briarclaw thought that it proved how wonderful of a cat her friend was, that he could be worried for a furball like Adderscar. They had searched each of the dens for Adderscar, but he wasn't in the camp. There was a distinct lack of guards as well, which did make Briarclaw uneasy. As much as Adderscar bothered her, she understood that he hadn't maybe always been so severe. There used to be someone who would pull him back from eating poison berries to prove a point, someone who would yank him back from the edge if he got too curious in the darkness. Sometimes Briarclaw wondered if Silverflower had even been real, or if she was a fable the older members of the squad had told them, just to make Adderscar a little more sympathetic. "I found his trail!" Grayleaf called. While she had been thinking, he'd been working. She felt a burst of sadness as she followed a determined Grayleaf. We all underestimated you, Grayleaf. Even Stormflight and I. You are the most determined cat I know and Adderscar better realize that when we find him. The trail became clearer as they ran. The scents mingled together with broken branches and fresh paw-prints in the mud. And every here and there, drops of scarlet blood. Fresh. Briarclaw tried not to think about that so much. "When we catch up with them," she panted to Grayleaf, "Adderscar's not going to be able to fight." "I know." "Grayleaf," she ducked under a low-hanging branch. "We can't really fight either. Not against a bunch of guards." "I know." They were silent as they kept running. Adderscar was drifting in and out of consciousness when he heard the twigs snapping. He tried to struggle out of the murky darkness, certain that Grayleaf and Briarclaw would need his help. Or at the very least, they'd need him to stumble off somewhere so this didn't become a hostage situation. "We'll take it from here." The tone was so authoritative, so cold, so... scary? Adderscar almost didn't recognize it as Briarclaw's. "Who are you?" one of the guards asked. Adderscar hear the crunching of leaves under paws and he looked up. Briarclaw was standing nose to nose with the leader of the guards. Grayleaf stood a mouse-tail behind her with narrow eyes. "We're the ones Firestar sent to pick up the prisoner. You got a problem with it?" "H-How do we know that's true?" Adderscar didn't think Briarclaw could physically get any more in the guard's face, but, somehow, she did. "Look, that cat is responsible for his brother's death. If you want to make him angry about it..." Oh, now that just wasn't even true. Adderscar hadn't killed Thundercloud- it was more the other way around. But if it worked... "No, no," the guard hastily backtracked. "Sorry. Do you need an escort?" "Do I look like I need an escort?" Briarclaw was growling now. The guards literally dumped Adderscar on the ground and trotted back to the prison camp, trying to look dignified as they did. As soon as the FireClan cats were all gone, Briarclaw let out a long breath, "You idiot!" Adderscar managed to sit up, trying not to let on how much he was hurting. "Thanks for the rescue?" "If I didn't think I would kill you with a single blow," Briarclaw hissed, "I would smack you right now." "Are you okay?" Grayleaf asked. He prodded Adderscar gently with his nose and examined the wound on his head. "How's your leg?" "Probably okay. Look, the FireClan cats in the prison-" "Seriously though, you're okay?" Briarclaw interrupted. Adderscar felt a flicker of annoyance. "Yes, I just said so." "Because," Briarclaw continued. "It kind of looks like you got beaten half to death and then dragged through a forest. So when you say you're okay, I'm not really inclined to believe you." "Sure, it's just the FireClan-" "Adderscar," Grayleaf interrupted this time. "If we let you tell us about what you found out, will you let me take care of your wounds and then get some rest?" After a moment of consideration (which was actually Adderscar almost passing out for a moment and waiting for it to pass) he nodded. "Okay," Briarclaw sighed. "What did you learn?" Despite the pain, Adderscar couldn't help but smirk. "I think it's time for a good old fashioned rebellion." "I don't think Waterstar will go for that," Grayleaf said, whiskers twitching as he hunted for cobwebs in the bushes. Adderscar rolled his eyes. "No. A FireClan rebellion." Briarclaw blinked. "How would that even work...?" "Firestar has been putting cats who are part WaterClan into prison camps," Adderscar said quickly. "It was a volunteer thing at first, and enough FireClan cats were dumb enough to think their heritage made them a danger to their Clan that it worked. But now anyone with WaterClan connections is being put in prisons, and that can't make them happy." "So FireClan's not only losing soldiers because they're half-blood," Briarclaw said, starting to get excited. "But they're actually turning them against FireClan!" "Exactly!" "Wait..." Both the brains turned to see Grayleaf looking at them. One paw was wrapped in cobwebs and he started plastering it onto Adderscar's head wound. "So if the FireClan cats who are part WaterClan are being put into prison camps...then where are the WaterClan cats who are part FireClan being put?" Briarclaw and Adderscar blinked at each other. "I think we need to go back to Main," Briarclaw finally announced. "This is important." "What about the cats who are still in the prison?" Grayleaf asked. There was a brief silence. Adderscar thought of Skyblaze, who was so obviously unhappy. Of Applenose who just wanted to be serving her Clan, regardless of her bloodline. "We leave them," he said. "This is more important than some cats who don't even want to be saved." The other two didn't argue with him. Finally, Briarclaw meowed, "We should leave for Main in the morning. Grayleaf, do you need any herbs or anything?" The medicine cat surveyed Adderscar for a moment, then shook his head. "No. But if I run out of cobweb I'll let you know." Briarclaw nodded and turned to leave. Adderscar felt words bubbling out and before he could stop himself, he muttered, "Thanks. For coming to get me." Grayleaf just blinked at him. "Of course." Briarclaw sighed, and, though Adderscar couldn't see, he imagined she was rolling her eyes. "You're a member of the squad. Just because you're an idiot doesn't mean we won't come for you." "Leave no cat behind," Grayleaf purred, eyes bright. Though Adderscar immediately made a list of all the cats they ever had left behind (Silverflower screamed his name and he was too slow couldn't save her couldn't save her...), he purred. Maybe not trusting anyone helped you live longer. But maybe trusting cats gave you a reason to live. He literally choked on the thought, coughing with laughter than his own mind had produced something so ridiculously sentimental. Grayleaf looked at him in concern. "Sorry," Adderscar chortled. "Sorry, sorry." The laughter quieted down and he sank back into a more melancholy mood. "Sorry." Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics